College Board · AP Chemistry

AP Chemistry: Molecular and Ionic Compound Structure and Properties — Practice Questions & Answers

How bond type, Coulombic forces, lattice structure, Lewis diagrams, VSEPR shapes, and hybridization explain compound properties.

846 practice questions available for this unit — here are 10 with full answers and explanations.

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Practice questions with answers

1 Multiple choice · Easy

Which type of bond forms when electrons are transferred from a metal atom to a nonmetal atom?

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WhyIonic bonds form by electron transfer from a metal (forming a cation) to a nonmetal (forming an anion), with the resulting ions held together by electrostatic attraction.
2 Multiple choice · Easy

Which of the following best describes a metallic bond?

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WhyIn metals, valence electrons are delocalized into a 'sea' of electrons shared among a lattice of cations, which accounts for conductivity and malleability.
3 Multiple choice · Easy

How many valence electrons must be shown in the Lewis structure of CO2?

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WhyCarbon contributes 4 and each oxygen contributes 6, giving 4 + 2(6) = 16 total valence electrons.
4 Multiple choice · Easy

According to VSEPR theory, what is the molecular geometry of a molecule with four bonding pairs and no lone pairs on the central atom, such as CH4?

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WhyFour bonding regions and no lone pairs arrange to minimize repulsion in a tetrahedral geometry with bond angles of about 109.5 degrees.
5 Multiple choice · Easy

An alloy is best described as which of the following?

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WhyAn alloy is a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements (often other metals), combining metallic properties; it is a mixture, not a compound.
6 Fill in the blank · Easy

A covalent bond in which the bonding electrons are shared unequally because of a difference in electronegativity is called a covalent bond.

Answer: polar

WhyUnequal sharing of electrons between atoms of different electronegativity produces a polar covalent bond with partial charges.
7 Multiple choice · Medium

In a potential energy versus internuclear distance curve for a diatomic molecule, what does the distance at the minimum of the curve represent?

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WhyThe minimum of the curve corresponds to the most stable arrangement, where attractive and repulsive forces balance; this distance is the equilibrium bond length.
8 Multiple choice · Medium

Which molecule is correctly described as having a trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry?

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WhyNH3 has three bonding pairs and one lone pair on nitrogen (tetrahedral electron geometry), giving a trigonal pyramidal molecular shape.
9 Multiple choice · Medium

What is the hybridization of the central carbon atom in the carbonate ion, CO3 2-?

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WhyCarbonate has three regions of electron density (three sigma bonds, no lone pairs) around carbon, corresponding to sp2 hybridization and trigonal planar geometry.
10 Multiple choice · Medium

Why does the ozone molecule, O3, require two resonance structures rather than a single Lewis structure?

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WhyExperimentally the two O-O bonds in ozone are identical (intermediate between single and double), so resonance structures are averaged to represent delocalized bonding.

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Key terms in Molecular and Ionic Compound Structure and Properties

Chemical Bond: An attractive force that holds two atoms together by sharing or transferring electrons.
Ionic Bond: An electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions formed by the transfer of electrons from a metal to a nonmetal.
Covalent Bond: A chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons.
Metallic Bond: The attraction between a lattice of positive metal ions and the surrounding sea of delocalized valence electrons.
Polar Covalent Bond: A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally because the bonded atoms differ in electronegativity.
Nonpolar Covalent Bond: A covalent bond in which electrons are shared equally between atoms of similar or identical electronegativity.
Electronegativity: A measure of an atom's tendency to attract shared bonding electrons toward itself.
Bond Dipole: A separation of partial positive and partial negative charge across a polar bond.

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